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A big family gathering today for Phoebe’s Naming Ceremony. It was essentially a Christening without the religious element of a probably sex-pest dunking her head in a big old stone basin in a church. And a good excuse for us to let our hair down, drink champagne and eat cake in the early summer sunshine.
Phoebe was dressed in a smart blue dress bought for her by her great aunty Margaret. It had a little blue rosette attached which made her look like a prospective Tory candidate. I am disappointed by my daughter’s political allegiance (though children like to side with the winners), but I have to accept that she may not make the same life choices as me. I gave the speech to give her her name, though wasn’t really clear what was expected of me. Plus I was already quite drunk by this point. I started by saying, “By the power invested in my by my obvious sexual fecundity…” which is probably a first for a naming ceremony and you wouldn’t hear from any vicar (however accurate that might be) and gave a short speech welcoming Phoebe to the world, whilst giving a nod to the family members we have lost in the last year or so. Whilst one of the great-grandmothers that Phoebe is named for, Doris, is sadly gone, the other Joy was there to see her name passed on.
Phoebe’s birthday cake had her name and a goldfish on it, because her name means Bright Gift Happy Fish and so far that rather suits her. Catie, Phoebe and me cut it together and Phoebe charmed everyone she met. She’s a lot more sociable than her dad.
I was pretty exhausted but it was a great afternoon with Phoebe meeting more of her family for the first time and reacquainting herself with the ones she’d met. I particularly enjoyed seeing her with her two female cousins, Emily and Sarah, my brother and sister’s daughters. All of them the grand-daughters of my mum and dad, but all very different people. Even though they’re all grown-up now, the next generation cousins are very close to each other and I know they will all be there for each other in the future. Emily commented that she wouldn’t be able to take Phoebe out for a drink until she was really old. Though I pointed out that she’d still be six years younger than me at that point. And she agreed that that would be very old.
We got a bit drunk in the sunshine and I almost fell asleep a few times. But I managed to stay up until 9.30!
